Fabric sectioning device



June 1951 5. J. DAVIS ETAL 2,556,681

FABRIC SECTIONING DEVICE Filed Sept. 11, 1948 SAMUEL J. DAVIS MES J. COLVIN BY fi 6 I ATTORNEYS Patented June 12, 1951 FABRIC SECTIONIN G DEVICE Samuel J. Davis and James J. Colvin, La Grange, Ga., assignors to Callaway Mills Company, La Grange, Ga., a corporation of Georgia Application September 11, 1948, Serial No. 48,904

4 Claims. (01. 88-40) This invention relates to a device for holding a specimen to make possible the sectioning thereof for microscopic and photomicrographic analysis. The new device is of simple construction, is easy to use, and holds the sample securely while the sectioning cuts are made. The position of the specimen held by the device may be varied by fine adjustment means and successive sections may thus be made at extremely small intervals, so that the specimen may be subjected to a thorough examination at a multiplicity of levels within the body thereof. Th new device may be used in the sectioning of samples of materials of different kinds and may be employed to great advantage in the sectioning of fabrics in fabric analysis. A form of the device suitable for use in the sectioning of specimens of fabric will, accordingly, be illustrated and described in detail to make clear the various features of the invention.

Fabric analysis, as now carried out, involves the making of accurate studies and determinations of fabric structure, the effects of impregnation, etc. and certain of the desired information may be most conveniently obtained by microscopic and photomicrographic analysis of horizontal sections of the fabric specimens, that is,

sections made by cutting the fabric in a plane between its opposite faces. Heretofore, such sections have been made by affixing a specimen of the fabric to a microscope slide and splitting the fabric free-hand with a razor blade and sections so made are obviously unsatisfactory because of the lack of precision in the cutting operation. Also, it has not been possible by the manual method to make a plurality of sections at different levels in the same specimen with the lane of the cuts parallel.

The present invention is, accordingly, directed to the provision of a device in which a specimen can be held for accurate horizontal sectioning, and the device makes possible the sectioning of the specimen repeatedly with each cut in a plane and the planes of successive cuts separated by small intervals. In the device, the specimen is mounted upon the top surface of a plate movable in a slot opening through a plane surface, the surface of the plate lying parallel to the plane. The specimen to be sectioned is affixed to the top surface of the plate and, initially, the plate is in such position that the top of the specimen may lie flush with the plane or project slightly above the plane. The device includes fine adjustment means for shifting the plate toward the plane, while maintaining the surface of the plate parallel to the plane. The specimen may thus be caused to project above the plane to varying extents and sectioning cuts through the specimen may be made by a razor blade moved along the plane surface.

For a better understanding of the invention, reference may be made to the accompanying drawing, in which Fig. l is a view of the device in front elevation;

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view on the line 33 of Fig. 4; and.

Fig. 4 is a view of the device inside elevation.

The new device includes a block structure having a plane surface and a slot extending toward the plane of the surface and opening through it. In the device illustrated, the block structure is made up of a main block I0 and a movable block II, which rests on a lateral extension I2 from block I0. Blocks I0 and II have flat top surfaces I3, I4, respectively, which lie in a plane, when the blocks are assembled with block I I resting on extension I2. The blocks I0 and II also have opposed surfaces I5, I6, respectively, which define a slot extending toward and opening through the plane of surfaces I3, I4.

A pair of guide pins I 1, I8 are mounted in block I0 to project outwardly at right angles to surface I5 on the block and overlie the extension I2. Between the guide pins, a rod I9 having a threaded outer end is mounted in block ID to extend parallel to the pins. The block II is provided with openings, into which the pins and rod extend, and the opening for the rod is enlarged as indicated at 20, so as to receive a coil spring 2| threaded on the rod. The rod extends through block II and carries a nut 22 on its exposed end.

A spacer plate 23 is mounted at the bottom of the slot defined by surfaces I5, I6 on the blocks, the lower edge of the spacer being cut away so that it will slip over pins I'I, I8 and rod I9 and rest on the top surface of extension I2. The top of the extension is flat and parallel to the plane of surfaces l3, I4, and the top and bottom surfaces of the plate 23 are flat and parallel. A wedge member 24 is mounted on top of plate 23 between surfaces I5, I6 and the wedge member has a flat bottom surface and a top surface, which is inclined in the direction of the length of the member. A plate 25 is mounted between surfaces I5, I6 to rest on the top inclined surface of wedge member 24. The bottom surface of plate 25 has a lengthwise inclination opposite to thatof the top' surface of the wedge member,

3 while its top surface lies parallel to the plane of surfaces l3, l4 and is slightly roughened.

A pair of end plates 26, 21 are attached by screws 28 to the ends of block If to close the ends of the slot formed by surfaces l5, 16 on the blocks. End plate 21 carries an outwardly projecting internally threaded sleeve 29, into which extends a micrometer screw 30having a'cap.3.l and a barrel 32 provided with a scale 33, which can be read against a base line 34 marked on the outside of sleeve 29. The spindle 35 of the screw projects through plate 2? and into a recess formed by grooves in the opposite surfaces l5, l6 of the blocks, the end of the screw engaging the large end of wedge member 24. End plate 26 has a cut-out 26a, through which the small end of the wedge member may extend whenthe wedge-member is moved endwise.

In the device illustrated, block Ill is formed with a surface 36 lying ,at an angle to the bottom of the extension 1.2 for supporting the device on the stage of ;a stereoscopic microscope with the surface of the specimen :at an angle to the horizontal.

In the use of the device, the nut 2-2 is removed from rod ii 9 and the block H removed from block it to expose the wedge member 24 and plate 25. The plate is then removed and a strip of the fabric :of about the width of the plate is afiixed by adhesive to .thetop surface thereof. The plate is then placed in position on the wedge member, which has preferably been moved to the right, as illustrated in Fig. 3. The block H is then returned to position and moved toward block ill by the nut 22 on rod 1 9.

At this point, the device is placed on the stage of the microscope and the specimen viewed. The micrometer screw 30 is then turned .in successive small increments to move the wedge member 24 endwise to the left, :as viewed in Fig. 3, until the fabric specimen on theplate 2-5 is elevated sumciently to project it above the plane of the surfaces i3, i i, a distance carefully determined by previous calibrations of the instrument. The

specimen again is viewed through the microscope and viewed visually to "be sure that the projection distance above the plane of the surfaces 13, If is approximately that desired. This is done by visually noting the shadow cast by the projected portion of thespecimen. A sectioning cut is then made through the specimen by means of a razor blade which is placed in contact with the surfaces 13, is and moved along those surfaces to cut through the specimen. Repetitive checking of the fabric in "planes parallel to the surfaces l3, ids with the razor blade in the manner indicated a'bove proceeds. The progress .of the repetitive checking of the fabric is carefully noted through the microscope. The several sections then may be further treated for the necessary microscopic examination or for the making of photomicrographs.

The above operations cannot be done by visual observations with the ordinary eye, and must be done while observing the specimen through the microscope. The supporting of the device on the angular plane surface 36 enables the operator to View the specimen at the proper angle at all stages of the operation, places the device in a position in which the razor blade .can be held naturally at the proper angle for making the several shavings,'and generally contributes to the convenience in using the device.

We claim:

1. .A .device for holding :a specimen to permit 4 sectioning thereof for examination purposes, which comprises a block structure having a slot extending inwardly from one side thereof, the edges of the block structure defining the outer limits of the slot being straight and lying in a plane, a plate within the slot having a top surface parallel to said plane to which a specimen to be sectioned may be affixed, said plate normally lying wholly within the slot, and means :for rela tively adjusting the plate within the slot While maintaining its top surface parallel to said plane comprising abottom surf-ace on the plate inclined horizontally thereof relative to its top surface, a wedge-member engaging said inclined bottom surface, an end plate secured to the block structure opposite an end of the slot, a threaded member having its inner end engaging one end of the wedge member, said threaded member extending through the end member and having a threaded engagement therewith and means for rotating the threaded member to shift the wedge :member with a rectilinear non-rotary movement forrelatively adjusting the position of the plate in the slot, whereby by successively adjusting the relative position of the top surface of the plate relative to said plane and successively moving a straight cutting edge along theedges defining the outer limits of the slot, successive sections of the specimen having parallel surfaces may be exposed for examination.

2. A device as set forth in claim 1 in which the end plate has a threaded sleeve with which the threaded member engages and in which :micrometer adjusting means are provided at the outer end of the screw member.

3. A device for holding a specimen to permit sectioning thereof for examination purposes which .comprises a first block member having a flat supportin surface, a plane surface and a surface connecting the flat and plane surfaces, a cooperating block member mounted for movement along said flat surface to and from said. connecting surface, said cooperating block member having a plane surfacelying in the plane of the plane surface of the first block member, means for relatively adjusting the position of the'cooper-ating block member along said fiat surface, and with said first block member to form a slot having its outer limits terminating in the plane of the plane surfaces of said block members, a plate within the slot having a top surface parallel to said plane to which a specimen to be sectioned may be afiixed, said plate normally lying wholly within the slot, and means for relatively adjusting the plate within th slot while maintaining its top surface parallel to said plane comprising a bottom surface on the plate inclined horizontally thereof relative to its top surface, a wedge member engaging said inclined bottom surface, an end plate secured to the block structure opposite an end of the slot, a threaded member having its inner end engaging one end of the Wedge member, said threaded member extending through the end member and having a threaded engagement therewith and means for rotating the threaded member to shift the wedge member with a rectilinear non-rotary movement for relatively adjusting the position of the plate in the slot, whereby by successively adjusting the relative position of said top surface relative to said plane and successively moving a straight cutting edge along the plane surfaces of the block members, successive sections of thespecirnen having parallel surfaces may be exposed for examination.

i. A device as set forth in claim 3 in which'the end plate has a threaded sleeve with which the UNITED STATES PATENTS threaded member engages and. in which microm- Number Name Daf eter adjusting means are provided at the outer 1 335 Lask Mar 30 1926 end of the screw member. 1438250 L yon Dec. 12, 1922 SAMUEL DAVIS- 6 2,011,444 Hardy Aug, 13, 1935 JAMES J. COLVIN.

FOREIGN PATENTS REFERENCES CITED Number Country Date The following references are of record in the 52 344 Denmark Nov, 16, 1936 file of this patent: 10 567,373 Great Britain Feb. 12, 1945 

